It's official: Dark Shadows returns as a film with Johnny Depp

[michael c]

i was quite startled on the subway this morning to see a picture of barnabas in the post.

i didn't know vampires were "back".

[jimbo]

The timeline can be found via the link after the 2nd paragraph (minus the spattery background).  Who knew that DS aired from 1961 to 1971??    Thanks for posting it, jimbo.

Isn't a Lost Boys 2 in the works?

Hi Midnite I caught the online timeline right after I had sent my last post-that was a good catch about the distinguished publication making an error like that. lol. However, the dates in the actually paper edition are correct. Don't ask. I did like that the Post made it into a full page article. Yes I did hear about the Lost Boys sequel but I don't know anything about that movie. On a personal note it was great to see you at the Fest-hope we will have more time to talk at next year's Fest.

[BuzzH]

Isn't a Lost Boys 2 in the works?

Yes I did hear about the Lost Boys sequel but I don't know anything about that movie.

Don't know much about the movie either, except that on The Two Corey's, Corey Haim was devastated to discover he'd been excluded from the sequel.  Feldman had been asked but declined because he didn't care for the script or the fact that Haim wasn't asked to join the cast.  From what they were saying, it is going to be a direct-to-DVD flick so that suggests to me it's gonna suck worse than Barnabas after 175 years in da coffin, LOL!  

For me personally, I'd only be interested in a sequel at this point if they told the pre-story of how David (Kiefer Sutherland's character in the first movie) and the other Lost Boys became vampires in the first place.  Like, I'd love to see them as teens getting victimized into the cult.  Obviously they'd have to re-cast everyone as they are all to old now to reprise their roles.  Shame they couldn't have done LB2 one or two years after the original came out so that Sutherland and the others COULD have played their same roles. 

[jimbo]

I thought I'd share a response to a question I posed to TV Guide, TV Critic Matt Roush concerning whether a new DS project would be better suited for the big or small screen. I have always and still take the position that DS is better suited for the small screen but I am thrilled for the franchise that there will be a new theatrical DS movie with Johnny DEPP. Just wish Roush did not have to say that the two DS movies may have been "awful" but he made it clear that that he has not seen them. Hope he goes out and buys the DVDs next year and see what he is missing.

This is taken from  http://www.tvguide.com/ask-matt  published on 08-31-07

Question: I am ambivalent about hearing that Johnny Depp is going to play Barnabas Collins in a new theatrical version of Dark Shadows. I am sure that the movie will bring new blood into the franchise, but I don't think Dark Shadows is a good fit for the big screen. Dark Shadows has always been a long, continuous saga with many characters and storylines, and I don't believe you can simply make a two-hour Dark Shadows movie, no matter how great an actor Johnny Depp is. Do you believe that Dark Shadows is better suited for the big screen or the small screen?— James, Staten Island, NY

Matt Roush: Given that the last few attempts to remake Dark Shadows as a prime-time series failed (a short-lived remake on NBC and an aborted comeback on the WB), maybe a starry big-screen homage is the way to go. Besides, the original series spawned two movie spin-offs in the early '70s: House of Dark Shadows and Night of Dark Shadows. I can't pretend to be objective about them, having seem them in my early teens (if that) as an unabashed Collinwood junkie. (Haven't seen them since, so for all I know, they're actually awful.) But as long as you capture the ambience of the Dark Shadows mythology and tell a good story with the right cast (Johnny Depp is a great start), I don't see why this would be any more off base as a potential movie franchise than something like The X-Files. But is the premise of Dark Shadows better suited for an open-ended serialized drama? Absolutely. For now, though, that doesn't appear to be in the tarot cards.

[jimbo]

Correction to my post. Roush stated that he has seen the 2 DS movies but it was a very long time ago.

[Devlin66]

my 2 cents worth------------ i am very thankful for the original series on vhs and dvd...and i enjoyed mgm's HODS and NODS...having Mr Depp play Barnabas is like Mr. T play MLK.

[Brandon Collins]

Isn't a Lost Boys 2 in the works?

Yes I did hear about the Lost Boys sequel but I don't know anything about that movie.

Here's some more information about that movie. There was a blurb in my 8/24 issue of Entertainment Weekly, that says that both Haim and Feldman are going to reprise their roles in the sequel. It's a DVD-movie called "Lost Boys II: The Tribe" and is described by executive producer Mary Viola as being "like X Games meets Jackass". Other cast includes Angus Sutherland, Kiefer's half bro, Autumn Reeser of "O.C." fame, and Tad Hilgenbrinck from American Pie's "Bandcamp".

The reason that it was originally thought that Haim wasn't going to be in it was because he was seen on his A&E reality show with Feldman, crying over the fact that Feldman had been asked but he hadn't. But, that was before all casting was completed, and Haim was later contacted to reprise his role.

[Phil]

Latest word is that Haim is out again, due to some sort of Canadian work visa issue.

[loril54]

http://www.deppimpact.com/news/2007/09/appeal-of-dark-shadows.html

Here is a nice comment about Jonathan.

It is nice to see that even now Jonathan has an effect.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

In an article in the 9/14/07 issue of Entertainment Weekly about the record setting opening boxoffice for the Halloween remake, writer Dave Karger poses the question:

With an update of Wes Craven's 1972 chiller Last House on the Left and a film version of the '60s vampire saga Dark Shadows in the works, will horror's next wave be classic remake chic?

Who knows? And who knows if the Depp/DS film will break any boxoffice records? But one can only hope that Halloween has set off a trend in horror films that the Depp/DS film can benefit from. 

[Brandon Collins]

Read that little column in my copy of EW MB! I was elated to see a mention of DS! And BTW, the new "Halloween" flick ain't too shabby. I actually liked it.

[Barnabas'sBride]

Who knows? And who knows if the Depp/DS film will break any boxoffice records? But one can only hope that Halloween has set off a trend in horror films that the Depp/DS film can benefit from. 

I don't know if it will break box office records, but I expect it to do well based on the Depp factor alone. After the success of Pirates of the Caribbean, the mere presence of Depp will likely draw out the crowd.

[Raineypark]

After the success of Pirates of the Caribbean, the mere presence of Depp will likely draw out the crowd.

Oh, absolutely.  At this point, Depp could draw a record crowd just by standing in a field, reciting the alphabet.....

[madscntst]

Johnny is certainly enjoying a lot of box office success lately (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and all 3 Pirates movies were HUGE), and one would hope that he will continue to draw in the crowds.  But remember, in most of Johnny's 20+ year acting career, most of his films have not been big hits.  Last year's The Libertine, which, granted, was an "art film" that was tough to market, didn't even reach $5 million domestically.  So he's still not *guaranteed* a huge box office, and by the time Dark Shadows may come out a few years from now, who knows which stars may be in favor by then.  It will be interesting to see how Sweeney Todd does in a few months; it could be a huge hit or a huge flop, but I admire the risk, anyway.

FYI, here is a list of Johnny's films and their box office grosses, from Box Office Mojo:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?id=johnnydepp.htm

[Barnabas'sBride]

I believe the Libertine wasn't all that widely released. If I remember correctly, one theater around here locally played it, but none of the others did, and I live in an area close to two larger cities.

I would think DS would be groomed to be a franchise, if Depp was willing to return to the character like he did to Jack Sparrow, which would up its odds for box office take.  DS has what it takes to be a franchise film.

And by the time DS would come out, another Pirates will likely be on the horizon, since Depp's willing to come back for a 4th film, which would only increase the Depp awareness factor in the public. While Depp didn't do as well in the box office before, Jack Sparrow definitely made the public aware of him, and I don't see that going away in the next few years.